A Future to Build
by treehiller23
Summary: It's not easy being the son of the town drunk, and for Wade, it's a title that he'd like to outgrow. Can a little push from the nosey doctor be just what father and son need to move up and move on?


**A/N: **Thank you all for reading, hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hart of Dixie. But boy the things I'd do if I did.

**Summary: **It's not easy being the son of the town drunk, and for Wade, it's a title that he'd like to outgrow. Can a little push from the nosey doctor be just what father and son need to move up and move on?

Thank you bunches to my awesome beta Cassie. She coerced this out of me .

A Future to Build

"Damn it," Wade voice rose, as he shoved the papers off the bar's counter. Zoe and Rose looked up from their table. In fact all the patrons seemed to be caught off guard by his outburst.

He looked at them annoyance in his eyes. "Go back to your own gossip."

Soon the town went back to their mingling, choosing to ignore Wade. But Zoe had trouble not staring over at the man. They'd been dating for a few months, if you could call it dating. They'd fight and bicker, then they'd get dinner, fight some more, usually ending up in bed together. But it was never a dull moment being Wade Kinsella's girlfriend.

"I'll be right back," she said to Rose and walked towards the counter, picking up the papers.

"Dropped these," she said coyly, handing them to Wade.

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll be needin' them anymore," he replied as he pushed them down the bar a bit. "Anything else?"

"Two ice teas," she replied. Has he walked off, she looked over the discarded documents. But they just confused her. She didn't understand why Wade had some lease agreement.

She was so engrossed, that when he came towards her she didn't notice until his face was inches from her own.

"You know Doc, I'd think you've been in Bluebell way too long," he said pulling the papers from her grip. "No sense of privacy."

"Here I thought you liked it when we shared _private _things," she replied smiling. "Come on Wade. Doesn't being your girlfriend entitle me to a few insights into your business?"

"It would if this was somethin', but it isn't so forget it." He pushed the teas towards her, leaning in close. "Don't worry about it."

"Who says I was-" but he cut her off, pressing his lips firmly to hers. He held her there for a long moment.

"Nice try," she said pulling away. "But I cannot be distracted like that. Wade this is a lease agreement."

"No it **was** a lease agreement," he crushed them into a ball tossing it at the trash can. "Now it's nothin'."

"Wade," Zoe pleaded, pulling out the pouty look. "Talk to me."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, you win. It was the lease agreement, on my bar. Or the bar I was gonna have, until crazy Earl backed his stupid car into the Dixie Stop last week. Now I drained all my savings on bail and repairs."

"I'm so sorry," she said, placing her hand on his.

"It's my own fault for thinkin' I could actually get this thing done," Wade looked down and laced their fingers together.

"Don't say that okay? You can and will have your own bar. I have faith you."

"That's great and all babe but faith don't make down payments."

He kissed her cheek and went back to wiping down the counter.

"Can I suggest something without you getting mad?" Zoe asked, biting her bottom lip.

"Depends," he said eyeing her. "What do you want to suggest?"

"Maybe you should call Jesse, and ask him to help you with the whole repairs thing," she kept her gaze down.

"No."

"Wade."

"Zoe, I'm not callin' my brother, so just drop it. He don't want to help. That's why he stays away."

"I think he'd help if you asked."

"Yea, and how would that go? 'Hey Jesse, I know the last time we talked I called you selfish, and basically told you to screw yourself. But I'm sick of you sitting out on this family. Why don't ya step up and actually help for once?' How's that sound?"

"Really good until the end," she commented. "You might want to tone it down just a smidge though."

"Forget it. I don't want his help."

Just as Zoe was about to speak again, her phone began to ring.

"Dr. Hart," she answered. "Whoa, Addie slow down… I'll be right there."

She looked at Wade, concern covering her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Your dad was caught breaking into town hall." She said cautiously. "Lavon isn't pressing any charges. But he needs medical attention and is refusing Brick."

"Unbelievable," Wade mumbled. "I can't just leave the bar. Shelley's out sick and Wanda's stuck in Mobile."

"Hey it's okay, you stay here, and I'll handle crazy Earl," she leaned across the counter, giving him a quick peck.

"Rose, I'm sorry. Medical emergency, rain check on dinner?" She explained to the girl.

"It's no problem Zoe. Patients come first."

"Sure you're okay?" Rose nodded. "Kay, call you later."

The walk to the practice would have been peaceful if Zoe wasn't riddled with thoughts. She couldn't believe Earl had done another stupid thing, not even a week after crashing into the Dixie Stop. Well that wasn't completely true. Ever since she met Earl it had been one crazy thing after another, usually defaulting back on Wade. It infuriated her that he had a total disregard for his son. If it wasn't for Wade the old man would have been found dead in a pool of his own bodily fluids years ago.

As she entered Addie and Lavon were nearest talking to Sheriff Bill, and Brick was trying to convince crazy Earl to let him at least **look** at the injury.

"I said no, damn it," he slurred into the older doctor's face. "How many times I got ta say it."

"Earl, I'm just checkin' to make sure you don't need to go to Mobile for a CT scan, now hold still," Brick growled in frustration.

"No, I said I wanted the purdy doctor, and you're about as purdy as a barn cat after a run-in with a roost full'a chickens."

Zoe took that as her cue to move closer. "I'm here now."

"Thank the lord," Brick said walking away. "He's a stubborn old mule. One more minute and I was gonna sedate him."

Zoe came over taking a seat next to Earl. "Can I ask what happened?"

Lavon spoke first. "Well I was finishin' up some proposals, when I heard glass breakin' down the hall. When I got there Earl was stuck in the window."

"And why were you in the window Earl?" Zoe asked as she inspected his shoulder.

"I got the right to remain silent."

"That only works if you're being charged with something Earl," Bill said, chuckling softly. "Remember the mayor said he wasn't pressin' any charges."

"Fifth amendment," the old man coughed out. "The right to be left alone if I wanna be."

"I think this might work best if I treat him without everyone in here," Zoe commented, looking around the room. "I'll make sure he gets home when I'm done Bill, I promise."

"I'll drive 'em myself," Lavon added and walked Bill and Addie out.

Brick pulled her off to the side. "You sure you can handle Earl by yourself?"

"If I can handle Planksgiving, heat waves, and reading Dash's weekly blog updates, I think I can handle crazy Earl."

"Alright," Brick glanced over at the drunken man. "If he gives you any trouble, call Lavon back in here."

She smiled at him as he walked out the door. Turning her attention back to Earl she walked back towards him.

"So Earl, why did you break into town hall? For real," Zoe questioned, cleaning the man's shoulder.

"I was looking for somethin'."

"Fine, don't tell me," she replied, as she applied rubbing alcohol to his cuts without warning.

"That hurts!" Earl howled pulling away.

"Good," Zoe said unable to hold back her frustration any more. "You can't keep doing things like this Earl. Don't you see how much it affects Wade?"

"I donno whatcha talking bout," the man said gruffly. "How's me and my business got anything to do with him?"

"You're joking right?" she asked looking him in the eye. "The man climbs on to a building roof once a month to make sure you get down safely."

She couldn't take it anymore. If she didn't say something now he was just going to continue to use Wade even more.

"You're hurting him Earl. You may not see it, but you are. You're killing his chances of doing something great with his life. All the money he had saved up for his bar is now gone because he had to bail you out."

"What are you talkin' bout?" Earl questioned giving her a look. "What bar?"

"The one Wade's been planning on starting for a year now," she stated. "Everyone in town knows about it."

"He never told me," the older man said, looking away.

"Does that surprise you?" she asked, arms crossed. "I don't know what happened to the three of you. I don't understand what pushed your family down this road, but it ends now. I care about Wade too much to see him suffer like this. You're his _father_. Start acting like it."

They turned at the sound of the door opening. Lavon came walking back towards them.

"How's everything in here?" He asked looking between Zoe and Earl.

"No concussion and he doesn't need stitches. He should be fine to go home now," Zoe replied, grabbing her bag. "I'll see you at home Lavon."

She walked past the two men and out into the night.

Zoe lay awake in bed listening to the night. Any other time and she'd be fast asleep by now, but she needed to wait for Wade to get home. She realized how wrong it was to blow up at Earl. He may have deserved most of what she had said, but it's not like he'd remember it come morning.

She heard Wade's car pull up and the engine cut off. It sounded rough again, like the alternator was on its last leg. She groaned at the knowledge he embedded in her. Before she moved to Bluebell, the difference between an alternator and a carburetor would have been the last thing she'd ever consider learning. Somehow this town had a way of changing the things she viewed as important.

"Hey," she said, as Wade made his way into the bedroom of the gate house. She sat up and flashed him a smile.

"Why in the world are you still up?" he asked, unbuttoning his shirt. "I thought you'd be long out by the time I got home."

"I wanted to wait up for you," She replied, setting up on her knees. "So why don't you come over here and give your girlfriend a proper hello."

He made his way to the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around her waist. "My apologies. How'd it go with crazy Earl tonight?"

Zoe draped her arms over his shoulders pulling him into a kiss. She tried to deepen it but he pulled back.

"That bad huh?"

"Well," she started, scrunching her face."It went okay, until I sort of yelled at him."

"What are you talkin' about? Why would you go off on Earl?"

She leaned her head on his shoulder mumbling incoherently.

"Doc, you know I didn't get any of that," he replied putting her up right. "Now what happened?"

"I don't know. It was like this crazy, not me type of person just jumped out. Like I was taken over by an alien, whose sole purpose is to be over protective."

"Over protective? Zoe you ain't making sense." She pulled back a little.

"I called him out on all the crap he does. I basically told him that if it wasn't for him you'd be where you wanted to be by now."

He turned rubbing his nap of his neck. "It wasn't your place to tell him that."

"Somebody had to, Wade. I get that he's your father but that doesn't mean you should have to take care of him. He's a grown man."

"And if I didn't who would?" He twisted back to her. "He's my family Zoe. And around here family takes care of each other, whether you want to or not."

"I get that. I just thought if he knew you were trying to make a life for yourself, he'd see that he can't always come to you for everything."

"Wait did you tell him about the bar?"

"Well yeah, but I thought he already knew."

"Damn it Zoe. I wasn't tellin' him for a reason. The second he knows I'm gettin' my own place he'll be in there for free drinks before its open. "

"How would I know that? You seem to tell me about as much as you tell Earl," she got up off the bed and stalked towards the door.

"Where you goin'?" he questioned, catching her by the arm.

"I'm sleeping in the carriage house," she replied, pulling her arm back. "I don't feel much like being the only one who communicates in this relationship tonight."

"Zoe," he called after her. "This is stupid."

She just waved him off as she stomped past Burt Reynolds.

Wade didn't get much sleep that night. He'd never admit it out loud, but ever since he and Zoe started getting serious, his bed felt emptier without her there. In fact he was just about to go over and admit what a pig headed jerk he'd been, when his screen door began to rattle.

"Look I know you've come to yell at me some more," he began, as he walked to the front. "But let me get this out first-"

He stopped when he saw crazy Earl standing there, cover head to boot in mud. The man had a large, bulging envelope in his hands.

"Why would I come to yell at ya?" He asked furrowing his brow.

"Earl what the hell?" Wade exclaimed coming out on the porch. "You covered in mud. You got any clue what time it is?"

"That's not important," his father replied with a shake of his head. "What's important is I feel awful. I haven't done right by you, or your brother. But you've had it worse cuz you stayed."

"Earl, I am too tired for your drunken rambles. So go on home, take a shower, and sleep it off. I'll come by later to check on ya."

"Damn it, I'm not drunk. I'm sober as the day is long," he replied, standing up straight. "I know you think I'm no good, and your right. After your momma passed, I wasn't good for much. I saw Jesse gettin' the itch to leave, but you. You never had much interest in growin' up. I s'ppose that's my fault."

"We don't need to do this okay," Wade remarked. "What's done is done. You can't change it."

"But I need to make things right. See I didn't want you to be like me. The town loser. I needed you to be better, but you were never gonna listen to me."

"What are you trying to say?"

Earl handed him the envelope. "There's close to 15 grand in there. I had some left over from your momma's life insurance policy. The rest is all the money you've been givin' me over the years."

Wade pulled back the flap gaping at the thick stack of money. "But all this time I thought-"

"That I needed the help," Earl finished for him. "I know. I'm sorry for that. I just knew if I suggested you save the money yourself, you'd brush me off."

Wade leaned against the deck overlooking the water. He wondered if Zoe was up yet.

"You need to start that bar of yours, and stop livin' by others. I mean it Wade. I'm not coming to you for help no more. We both need that."

"What are you gonna do?" he asked turning towards his dad. "I mean come on Earl. We both know this place, that house. That's what's killin' ya. It's being there, where she… The point is, how long's this sober thing gonna last when you get home."

Earl smiled at his son. "I called your brother. Told him I was ready to get my act together. He got me into a rehab place near Raleigh."

"So you're leavin'?"

"I'll visit. May be a while til then, but this ain't goodbye," he said, and placed a key on the banister. "I'm giving you the land. Do what you want with it. Jesse don't want it, and I don't plan on goin' back there."

As Earl made his way off the porch, Wade called out. "Dad?"

"You don't got to say it boy. I know," He turned his head to the carriage house where Zoe had just exited. "You better treat her right Wade. She's got a lot of good in her, like your momma. I think that's how the best of you keeps seepin' out."

Earl waved to her and continued to walk off.

She made her way over to Wade. "What was that about?"

"I think Earl just stepped up," Wade replied, turning to face her. "I'm sorry, for last night. I wish I could take it back."

"Hey come on we fight all the time," she smiled. "No biggie."

"But usually we make up before mornin'. And I hate spendin' the night away from you," he pulled her close to him, kissing her neck gently.

"What's in the envelope?" she asked looking over his shoulder.

He looked down into her eyes. "Our future."


End file.
